Prior to being business partners, Tammy Myers was a speech pathologist working in private practice and Kimberly Silverstein was a mom trying to enhance her son’s language and reading skills. The two met in 2009 when Myers helped Silverstein’s son overcome a speech disorder by incorporating physical activity into his language lessons.

As Silverstein’s son progressed, the pair realized that no speech or reading clinic in the Racine area offered a curriculum that included kinesthetic learning. Myers also saw an opportunity to infuse technology into the learning process.

So in January 2012, Myers and Silverstein opened Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room in Racine to teach reading and writing skills to children ages 3 to 12. However, unlike other reading and tutoring programs, the students at Mrs. Myers Reading Room do not sit at desks or complete worksheets.

“We knew our approach was different and unique,” said Myers, president of Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room. “So we didn’t want to fall into the same pattern of having classrooms and classroom environment. We knew we wanted it to be an active play-work environment and we also knew we needed a creativity component and high-interest component.”

To keep the students interested, physical activity and new technology are a large part of the learning experience. During one 90-minute session, a group of students will typically move through four different rooms, each of which has a different designated learning purpose.

For example, in the iPad room, children use an app created by the clinic to create their own stories. By the end of the nine-week course, each child will have written and illustrated a printed book. Developing their own narrative, Myers said, helps students grasp the basics of reading and writing.

So far, this unorthodox approach has attracted families. Since opening its doors over a year ago, the reading room has served more than 370 children and currently employs more than 14 trained teachers on a contract basis.

However, Silverstein, who serves as vice president, and Myers are not without their struggles.

Wisconsin’s economic climate was challenging for new businesses in 2012 and being located in Racine did not help the reading room’s situation as the city’s unemployment rate ranks among one of the highest in the state.

“We are facing people who were moderate income and are now, all of sudden, low-income families,” Myers said.

To combat the problem, the pair implemented a scholarship program to retain clients and amped up efforts to get their name out. The partners sent out fliers, appeared on talk shows and reached out to other schools. This past year, the reading room partnered with Racine Unified School District (RUSD) to bring their services to several students in after-school programs.

Kathy Dunkerson, director of extended day programs for the district, said integrating these services into RUSD’s after-school programs was a huge success.

“Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room has really helped children to increase their reading and writing skills through a phonics and phonemics approach utilizing a technology-based program to excite them about reading and writing.” Dunkerson said. “Our students love her class, She brings a unique service to our students and to the community.”

Despite the challenging financial times endured as a startup, Silverstein and Myers are now looking to expand in the next 12 to 18 months. The business partners hope to set up a new site in Milwaukee and develop a franchise. Currently, their educational approach is patent-pending and should be finalized by the start of 2014.

The pair attributes their positive financial outlook to a unique educational approach and the need for more comprehensive reading programs in Racine. Despite the city’s high unemployment, they said finding and filling a void in the local education market was one of the main reasons they attracted so many families.

“Part of the reason we felt a strong pull toward Racine is because there is such a huge desire or need to help the kids in the community,” Silverstein said, pointing to the low reading proficiency levels among Racine students.

Although Myers and Silverstein would not disclose the company’s annual revenue, the business expects to be profitable by the close of its second operating year. Silverstein predicts they will close out 2013 with a 100 percent increase in its profits from 2012. For 2014, it expects a similar return with a doubling of its 2013 revenue projections.

Myers and Silverstein remain optimistic about their future expansion efforts.

“We decided if we can make it here,” Myers and Silverstein said in unison, “we can make it anywhere.”

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken so far? “The time and financial commitment. The personal financial investment in our company as well as the forgone salary of present employment. Both of us are mothers, so long hours spent developing our business would seem wasted if we were not successful.”

What’s been your best business decision? “Starting small and walking before we run. We have a willingness to change and to continually improve our process. Constant reevaluation and trying to improve. Including our teachers in this process of evolution.”

What’s been your worst business decision? “Not focusing on our target audience and having that consumer in mind when implementing our marketing plan. An example was advertising by trial and error instead of having a firm advertising plan and budget in place. A minor, costly mistake that helped us fine-tune our marketing and advertising plans.”